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Stacked: Photos by Malte Brandenburg

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Photos of tower blocks in Berlin by Copenhagen-based photographer Malte Brandenburg that were built almost in an identical fashion differentiated only by form and color. These housing estates became an innovative approach to housing the middle class as well as low income people after the war and became social gathering places. A few modernist buildings built between 1910 and 1933 became UNESCO World Heritage Sites for how they incorporated light, air, and sunshine into the design, usually achieved through a common garden, with each estate having its own feel and constructed in a way that fits the urban environment.

These buildings initially provided modern and affordable housing for many middle class families. With an easing housing market and other affordable alternatives, often a demographic change occurred: The middle class left to build their own house in the suburbs or for the increasingly popular “Berliner Altbau” in the city centres, while they were gradually replaced by families with economic and social burdens. Initially a vast improvement of life for many people after the war, some of these housing estates became social hot spots while others became more popular. In recent years various initiatives tried to counter the negative effects, e.g. by painting the rather grey buildings. Still, people stacked on top of each other as urban life form, remains an experiment.